Philosophical Issues in Cognitive Science Professor James M. Dow Email: [email protected] I. Course Description and Objectives Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field in which theories and methods from psychology, anthropology, artificial intelligence, linguistics, neuroscience, and philosophy are used to study the mind. Topics of study include: rationality, perception, actions, emotions, thoughts, language and consciousness. Traditionally, cognitive science is the study of how organisms understand the world through carrying out mental procedures on mental representations. The common strategy for theorizing about the mind in cognitive science is to provide an account of the procedures and representations that describe, explain and predict the diverse mental phenomena. Computational-representational theories of mind (CRTM) have been central to this project. In this course we will evaluate the computational-representational model of mind. We will also compare that program to connectionism and dynamicism, two recent competing theories. We will discuss six areas of cognitive theory: logic, rules, concepts, analogies, images, and connections. We will focus on four major special topics: emotion, consciousness, perception and action. We will conclude by discussing several challenges to traditional cognitive science and evaluating the relationship between the computational model of mind and new research in cognitive neuroscience. There are three aims of the course. The first aim is to introduce students to CRTM and evaluate the role philosophers play in the interdisciplinary study of cognitive science. The second aim is to introduce students to interdisciplinary research methods in cognitive science through the study of emotion, consciousness, perception and action. The third aim is to evaluate philosophical issues concerning the nature of mind that emerge from empirical research in cognitive science. II. TEXTS REQUIRED TEXTS: Mind Readings: Introductory Selections on Cognitive Science Paul Thagard (1998) MIT Press ISBN: 0262700670 Mind: Introduction to Cognitive Science, 2nd Ed. Paul Thagard (2005) MIT Press ISBN: 0262201542 Contemporary Debates in Cognitive Science Robert Stainton, Ed. (2006) Blackwell Publishing ISBN: 1405113057 RECOMMENDED TEXTS: Companion to Cognitive Science Bechtel and Graham, Ed. (1999) Blackwell Publishing ISBN: 0631218513 III. GENERAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1.) Attendance is required and will be checked. Attendance counts toward the assessment of the final grade in the following way: One absence will be

tolerated, but each absence after the first will result in a reduction of one full grade for the course (e.g., from “A” to “A-”, “A-” to “B+”, etc.). 2.) Please come to class prepared. This means that you must read and think about the text carefully before each class. Reading the text in preparation for class is required, not optional. If you come to class having prepared the assigned reading, you will find the lectures and discussions much more interesting and you will take better notes. 3.) Come to office hours. You will benefit from having one-on-one discussions with your instructor and fellow students. III. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING Blogging (25 Points): 5 WebLog Entries (5 points each) (extra credit for commenting on others’ posts) Midterm Paper (25 points): One five page paper due October 28, 2009 You may choose from topics provided in class or choose a topic in consultation. Presentation (10 points): One 10 minute presentation Exam (40 points): A Cumulative Final Exam will be given at the end of the term. Extra Credit Paper (5 points): 2 page paper. You may choose from topics provided in class. Due December 9th, 2009 III. Readings and Class Schedule (27 Class Meetings): Week 1: Representation and Computation: Mind, Ch. 1 and Mind Readings, Ch. 1 Week 1: Representation and Computation, continued...: Recommended Reading: Contemporary Debates, Chs. 17 and 18 Week 2: Labor Day: No Class Week 2: (Group A Blog Post #1 Due) Logic: Mind, Ch. 2 and Mind Readings, Ch. 2 Week 3: Logic, continued...: Recommended Reading: Contemporary Debates, Chs. 7 and 8 Week 3: (Group B Blog Post #1 Due) Rules: Mind, Ch. 3 and Mind Readings, Ch. 3 Week 4: Rules, continued...: Recommended Reading: Contemporary Debates, Chs. 9 and 10 Week 4: (Group A Blog Post #2 Due) Concepts: Mind, Ch. 4 and Mind Readings, Ch. 5 Week 5: Yom Kippur: No Class Week 5: (Group B Blog Post #2 Due) Concepts, continued...: Recommended Reading: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/concepts/ Week 6: Analogies: Mind, Ch. 5 and Mind Readings, Ch. 6 Week 6: (Group A Blog Post #3 Due) Analogies, continued...: Recommended Reading: The Analogical Mind, “Introduction” (Handout)

Week 7: (Group B Blog Post #3 Due) Images: Mind, Ch. 6 and Mind Readings, Ch. 7 Week 7: Images, continued...: Recommended Reading: http://www.imageryimagination.com/ Week 8: Connections: Mind, Ch. 7 and Mind Readings, Ch. 8 Week 8: Connections, continued...: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/connectionism/ http://snow.ucsd.edu/~ezra/old/pages/read-con.html Week 9: (Midterm Paper Due) Mind, Ch. 8 http://mind.ucsd.edu/papers/phil_cogsci/phil_cogsci.html Brains: Mind, Chs 9 Week 9: Brains, continued: Recommended Reading: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/neuroscience/ http://mind.ucsd.edu/papers/reviews/compbrain/compbrain-text.html Week 10: (Group A Blog Post #4 Due) Emotions: Mind, Ch. 10 and Mind Readings, Ch. 9 Week 10: Emotions: Recommended Reading: Jesse Prinz “Emotions Embodied” (PDF) Week 11: (Group B Blog Post #4 Due) Consciousness: Mind, Chs. 11 and Mind Readings, Ch. 10 Week 11: Consciousness, continued...: Recommended Reading: Jesse Prinz, “A Neurofunctional Theory of Consciousness” (PDF); David Rosenthal “Philosophy and the Study of Consciousness” (PDF); Contemporary Debates, Chs. 11 and 12 Week 12: (Group A Blog Post #5 Due) Dynamic Systems and Social Environments: Mind, Chs. 12 and 13 and Mind Readings, Ch. 13 Week 12: Dynamic Systems and Social Environments, continued...: Recommended Reading: http://www.philosophy.unimelb.edu.au/tgelder/papers/DH.pdf Week 13: (Group B Blog Post #5 Due) Special Topics— Perception and Representations: Contemporary Debates, Ch. 15 Week 13: Special Topics— Perception and Representations: Contemporary Debates, Ch. 16 Week 14: Special Topics— Sense of Agency: Anthony Marcel, “The Sense of Agency” Week 14: Special Topics— Sense of Agency: Christopher Peacocke, “Action: Awareness, Ownership and Knowledge” TBA: Cumulative Final Exam